Elmbridge Council’s Conservative administration has refused to introduce a pilot-scheme designed to reduce car parking charges in Thames Ditton and help traders in the area weather the current economic climate.

The scheme, proposed by Thames Ditton and Weston Green Residents’ Association Councillor Ruth Lyon and supported by every shop in the village, would have seen parking charges in the Ashley Road car park reduced from £4 to £2 for a period of six months.

Traders claimed, since the Tory administration hiked prices up by 100 per cent in January 2009, that business had dropped because it had killed off passing retail trade.

Shop owners were also anxious their part-time employees could not afford the £4-a-day for parking.

However, Tory councillors all voted against Coun Lyon’s proposal at a full council meeting on Wednesday, April 21, despite its increased charges leading to a 33 per cent decrease in revenue from the car park.

Tory councillors at the meeting refused to be drawn on the claims the policy was destroying business, but were quick to criticise the shop owners for not signing up to a scheme offering them reduced season tickets for employees, when their counterparts in Esher and Cobham had.

Tory Councillor John O’Reilly said: “What is so different about Thames Ditton that they can’t muster the same enthusiasm as their opposite numbers in Cobham and Esher. It is quite bizarre.”

Coun Lyon said: “As a council, we are the trustees of this car park and we should make it work. We are not doing this and we are losing money and shops are losing trade.”